, /PRNewswire/ -- Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century , is embarking on a multiyear restoration of the Susan Constant, flagship of the official fleet of the Commonwealth of . After 33 years of maritime education, the "floating classroom" will travel as early as to the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum in to begin work over the next two years to preserve it for future generations.
The undertaking to repair and restore the wooden, 120-ton cargo vessel, was approved this spring by the Virginia General Assembly, and a fundraising effort is underway to support maritime education while the ship is away. Under the helm of Captain , longtime director of Maritime Operations for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a 15-member sailing crew will take the estimated 515-mile journey over a period of four to five days, weather permitting. Instead of sails, they will travel using diesel engines to reach their destination.
"Thanks to our highly dedicated and qualified paid and volunteer crew, Susan Constant was transformed from a museum exhibit to a fully operable ship ready for the trip to Mystic Seaport Museum where it will undergo restoration and be prepared for its next chapter of service teaching early history," Speth said. Since its commissioning on , the Susan Constant has welcomed an estimated 19 million visitors – schoolchildren, presidents and even royalty – over the past three decades to climb aboard the re-created merchant ship. From the.
